Top 10 Highest Paying Countries For Accountants 2023
This guide is for those who want to know the countries with the highest chartered accountant salary in the world.
A chartered accountant is a professional who has passed the CA exam and the required education in his or her country of certification. He is responsible for recording, reporting, interpreting, and analyzing financial records for interested parties.
Some of the institutions that certify chartered accounting professionals are the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS), the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA). You can check out the list of professional accounting bodies across the world. Chartered accountants are experts in IFRS and other international accounting standards.
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The amount of salaries paid to chartered accountants around the world differs. In some countries, accountants earn high while some earn low in some countries too.
Therefore, if you are a certified accountant and thinking of relocating to practice in a country that pays a high accountant salary, this list of highest paying countries for accountants will guide you to make the right choice.
Table of Contents
Highest Paying Countries For Accountants
1. United Kingdom – US$165,000
The average salary and bonus of Chartered Accountants in London, UK is around £135,000. The basic salary is around £105,000. The highest paid accountants in the UK work in the banking and capital markets sector. Their average salary and bonus stands at around £170,000. As a chartered accountant, the UK is the best country to practice and earn enough money.
2. Ireland – US$132,000
In Ireland, accountancy is one of the largest single employer for new graduates. For those with less than five years experience in accounting, the average package stands at €60,000. As one gains more experience with more responsibilities, the annual salary increases to €108,00.
3. Switzerland – US$120,000
The minimum annual salary of an accountant in Switzerland is CHF65,000 and this rises to CHF120,000 when one gains over 15 years in experience. In this profession, consolidation managers are the highest paid with an average salary of CHF150,000 annually.
4. Canada – US$113,000
According to a survey conducted by CPA Canada, a CPA with over 15 years experience earns an average of CA$150,000 annually. The top paying industries for accountants are holding conglomerate, mining and oil & gas. CPAs in Calgary, Toronto and Edmonton are the highest paid in Canada.
5. Luxembourg – US$104,000
Luxembourg is a top player in investment funds and investment center in the European Union. Some multinationals have established their headquarters in Luxembourg, hence many jobs have been created in the field of accounting and management control. The start-up salaries for accountants with little to no experience is about €27,000 and as one gains experience and gets more job responsibilities, it can rise to more than €85,000 annually and €110,000 annually for a financial controller.
6. Japan – US$85,000
IFRS, JMIS, US GAAP and Japanese GAAP is the primary accounting standards in Japan. To be a registered accounting practitioner, you need to be certified by the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants. A newly qualified accountant earns at least 5.5 million JPY annually. Those with higher experience earn an average of ¥9 million yearly.
7. United States – US$75,000
In the United States, the Big four accounting firms are Deloitte, PWC, Ernst & Young and KPMG. The average salary for a CPA in the United States is $75,000 according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. When one gains more experience, this can rise to over $125,000 annually.
8. Australia – $US75, 000
In Australia, Chartered Accountants with over four years of experience have a salary range of AU$70,000 – AU$140,000. Cities in Australia with the highest wages are Sydney and Melbourne.
9. Norway – US$62,000
Chartered accountants in Norway with over 5 years experience earn between 400k – 600k NOK per annum.
10. Sweden – US$52,000
Chartered accountants based in Sweden earn about 500,000 SEK a year, this includes other benefits.
This is the list of the top ten highest paying countries for accountants, I believe that it will help you make a swift decision on the country you can migrate to and earn good pay as a chartered accountant.